"Watching African women & men fighting to save humanity n the international legal system against the ruthless attacks supported/enabled by most of the West will remain one of the defining images of our time. This will make history whatever happens."
Francesca Albanese UN Special Rapporteur #ICJ#Palestine#Israel
The #ICJ hearing begins today on Israel's occupation of Palestine. Link below to Al Jazeera's live feed.
Riyad Al-Malikhi began:
“I stand before you as 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, half of them children, are besieged and bombed, killed and maimed, starved and displaced.
As more than 3.5 million Palestinians in West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are subjected to colonisation of their territory and the racist violence that enables it"
"The International Court of Justice is set for the first time to broadly consider the legal consequences of Israel’s nearly six-decades-long occupation and mistreatment of the Palestinian people"
Clive Baldwin, senior legal adviser at Human Rights Watch.
An unprecedented 52 countries and international organisations are expected to participate in the oral hearings at the ICJ, beginning on Monday Feb 19th. #Israel#ICJ#Occupation#Palestine
Good to see the conservative government being shamed by the ICJ into at least considering to do the right thing. (Hey, at least the conservatives in Ireland still seem to know what shame is, which is more than can be said for those in other places. I’ll take my little wins where I can get them.)
"I've been to over 40 countries across Africa, Asia and South America doing humanitarian work, and what I saw in #KhanYounis were the most horrific scenes I've witnessed in my entire life. The bombings were going on every few hours at that point in and the #IDF were about 1km away, and the mass casualties kept on coming in, and it was mostly — the majority of patients I treated — were children from the ages of 2-17. I saw horrific eye and facial injuries that I've never seen before with shrapnell lodged in their eyes in the most terrible ways; children with limbs dangling, barely still connected; people suturing patients without anesthesia; it was just mass chaos. And so now I know with the bombings going on in #Rafah — with videos coming out showing limbs spread across the ground following an explosion — so I know what my colleagues are going through right now."
"So, take notes, Butcher Biden: The ancestors of the #Ireland that you claim to be from disown you. Keep our country out of your mouth. And as for von der Leyen (President of the #European Commission), and #genocidal#Germany with your words and deeds supporting #Israel in the #ICJ: Not in our name! The people of #Europe stand with #Palestine and with #SouthAfrica."
Clare Daly - #Irish Politician and Member of the European Parliament - 16/02/2024
The #ICJ ruling followed so swiftly by 11 countries withdrawing funding from the #UNRWA (ie, cutting aid reaching Gaza) is despicable beyond words.
I have never ever felt so profoundly alienated. From those in power in my countries (UK and Germany) from the majority consensus, from my family. We are not the good ones.
From SA's evidence to the #ICJ: "Israel has forced the displacement of about 85% of Palestinians in #Gaza. There is nowhere safe for them to flee to. Those who cannot leave or refuse to be displaced have either been killed or at extreme risk of being killed in their homes."
While taking Israel to the ICJ for genocide is a great publicity stunt, it's important to be realistic about the outcomes.
Israel will ignore any ICJ ruling ordering it to cease its attacks on the people of Gaza. The US will veto any UN Security Council resolution critical of Israel. Thus, there will be no material change in the conditions the people of Gaza are facing as a result of this case. Any "victory" will remain in the realm of public relations.
If anything, the ICJ case demonstrates the colonial nature of international law and why appeals to it are futile, and possibly counterproductive, distractions.
International solidarity and action reflective of the demands articulated by Palestinians themselves remains the most viable path forward during, and after, this catastrophic moment.
UN Human Rights Commissioner has found that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, according to a report released on Monday. The expert said there are clear indications that Israel has violated three of the five acts listed under the UN Genocide Convention.
"It is my solemn duty to report on the worst of what humanity is capable of and to present my findings," Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Occupied Territories, told the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to provide immediate, unhindered delivery of aid to Gaza as part of new provisional measures issued in a genocide case brought by South Africa.
“Stop the genocide. Ensure accountability. Recognize Palestine and support its membership at the UN. Mobilise for Palestine freedom and we shall achieve peace, all of us together."
Ibrahim Khraishi, Permanent Observer Mission to the State of Palestine at the UN at the ICJ today.
"The #ICJ order should have shocked Israeli leaders to change course, but since then conditions in #Gaza have actually worsened. The fact that other governments have not challenged Israel hard enough, but instead turned to less effective methods like airdrops and maritime corridors is a huge red flag, signalling that Israel continues to deny the full potential of better ways to deliver more aid." - Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam’s Middle East and North Africa Director
📌 Statement by Norway’s minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Espen Barth Eide, on the UN Works and Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). ⤵️
The International Court of Justice #ICJ ruled past friday that there's a plausible risk of genocide in #Gaza, and it gave specific instructions to #Israel to prevent a genocide. Those measures also imply other members of the Genocide Convention, such as the US, Canada, UK, etc.
Still, instead of following the court ruling, the Western nations have decided to cut funding to the UN humanitarian relief agency #UNRWA, that implies furthering the risk of genocide.
I am watching both full of gratitude that Institutions like the #ICJ exist, full of admiration for #SouthAfrica, but also full of fear, a lot of fear, that the case will not lead to any change in Gaza but to diminishing the power of the ICJ etc and the overall crisis of multilateralism. Let’s hope i am wrong